Overview
- A spate of dynamite attacks struck several districts in La Libertad, with explosions reported in Virú, Florencia de Mora, Casa Grande and Alto Trujillo during the same short period.
- The most recent attack targeted a pollería in Alto Trujillo on Thursday night, where criminals detonated an explosive against the store’s facade and later demanded S/50,000 from the pregnant owner by WhatsApp.
- The victim publicly refused to pay and told reporters she had received threats to her life and her child’s safety; neighbors have called for increased patrols after the blast caused alarm.
- Police and COER responded to the scenes, recovered a handwritten extortion letter, collected security-camera images and opened criminal investigations, and officials reported only material damage and no casualties so far.
- Regional authorities say the attacks fit a wider extortion pattern in La Libertad, where about 2,686 extortion complaints have been filed this year, putting pressure on policing and prompting forensic work to identify suspects.